Line of Control fence besieged as Kashmir infiltration surges

Zabiullah said it had taken just 30 minutes for his group of six trained fidayeen, and six porters, to cut through coils of razor-sharp concertina wire

Flashlights cut through the fog after a falling rock hit the ground, lighting up the rocks above the stream where the six Lashkar-e-Taiba assault unit was hiding. “Pakdo”, a voice shouted from the Indian Army outpost 20 metres away, “catch them”. The men remained still, guessing the guards had seen nothing, and only hoped to panic any infiltrators into betraying their position.

The guess paid off: No patrol came towards the stream. Before the first light, the Lashkar unit had begun its nine-day march towards the Lolab valley in Kupwara, undetected.

Last week, police arrested Zabiullah Saqib, a member of